


Washed Out in the Blood - Febuwhump 2021

by itsreallylaterightnow



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Febuwhump, Febuwhump 2021, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29128596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsreallylaterightnow/pseuds/itsreallylaterightnow
Summary: Welcome to Febuwhump 2021 - enjoy your stay!
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 25
Kudos: 39





	1. Impaling

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! SO, I'm crazy busy... and I committed to ten chapters but I don't know if that will happen - at least in February. I'm going to do my best to make it happen, but it may bleed over into March. 
> 
> Also... good luck with this first chapter - its a brutal beginning...
> 
> #chapter19 - if you know what that means, I am so sorry
> 
> This chapter is MAJORLY influenced by the last episode of Supernatural... do with that what you will

Chapter 1: Impaling

Peter always knew death wasn’t going to be a far-off experience for him. Hell, he’d already died once before. His life wasn’t exactly low-risk. He knew that, and those around him knew that. It had been a common argument between Peter and Michelle. Peter had fought himself over it time and time again. 

He never forgot his and Michelle’s third anniversary. He’d been leaving patrol, grabbed a bouquet of flowers when he’d just managed upon some burglars. They’d gotten in a few more hits than he had wanted them to, but all in all, he’d made it home in one piece… one very bruised piece.

He remembers walking into their apartment with the crumpled flowers, sitting heavy on their bed as Michelle had stepped out of the bathroom, her face dark as she stepped over to him. He cold fingers running over his chin, coming away stained red.

“I’m not going to be made a widow, Peter. I know what you do is important, but don’t condemn me to a life without you.” Her voice was firm. The kind of firm it got whenever she was truly scared shitless.

“I won’t, I promise.”

* * *

He’d meant to keep that promise. He truly had. He’d been careful, been quick to contact one of the avengers if he’d needed help.

But he couldn’t win every battle. He couldn’t stop every bad guy.

Peter took a shuddering breath as he let his head fall back on the structural pole behind him. Pain radiated from his chest.

“K-Karen… al-alert T-Tony.” He managed to get out around sucking in whatever miniscule amounts of air he could. On a positive note, Peter had managed to get Doc Ock crushed under the other half of the building. On a much, much less positive note, a whack of one of Ock’s tentacles had sent Peter careening into a spiked-out rebar that had gone through his upper back, right to the center of his chest.

Peter was going to have a word with the construction workers about leaving dangerous spikey metals laying around his fighting grounds.

“Already done, Peter. I encourage you to stay awake. Mr. Stark is only three minutes away.” Peter felt a wave of relief.

“Hey, K – I need you to take a message for me, alright?”

If Peter hadn’t known better, he would have thought that he heard a hint of tentativeness in Karen’s words. “Of course, Peter.”

“Uhm – hey…” He cleared his throat; certain his chest weighed a thousand pounds as he did his best to suck in grating breaths. “Em – I know you’re going to kick my ass for this. I really – I really didn’t want this for you. I never wanted you to go through what May did, I promise. I tried – I tried really hard.” Peter felt his eyes welling up with tears. “Well, you don’t want to hear me wallow, do you? Just know that I – I am so sorry. I love you.”

Peter did his best to inhale, letting his eyes close as he held his hand tightly against his chest. The pain was less now. Number than anything else. He figured that wasn’t a good thing… but he couldn’t much bring himself to care.

He was almost asleep, drifting somewhere between awake and asleep, when he heard the tale-tale sounds of the Iron Man suit, then the rush of Mr. Stark’s feet.

“Peter! Peter, come on kid!” A hand on Peter’s face jolted him from his sleep.

“Mr. St’rk-“ Peter managed to pull his eyes open, frowning at the business suit the man was wearing. “You were in a meeting… sorry.”

Tony just let out a curt laugh. “Yeah, you really owe me one for that.” Peter could see the worry in Mr. Stark’s eyes. He could feel the blood pooling beneath him. Everything was moving slower now. “Alright, medical is almost here, okay?”

Mr. Stark was doing his best to be reassuring. Peter knew that. He knew Tony was trying to stay positive. But he could see it in the lines on the older man’s face. He could feel it in the tightening grip that Tony had on his shoulder. He knew he wasn’t going to make it out of this place. Mr. Stark placed a hand behind Peter, before he began to slowly tug, but the pain erupted throughout Peter’s back and he cried out, placing shaking hands on Mr. Stark’s chest.

“No – no! Don’t move me, it feels like this thing is the only thing holding me together right now, okay?”

“Okay, okay – just hold on. I’m getting you out of here.”

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere.”

Tony shook his head at that. “Don’t say that.”

“Just – just stay with me. Stay with me, please.” Peter’s voice broke as he watched Tony blink his eyes roughly.

“I’m not going anywhere, alright?”

Peter caught Mr. Stark’s eye. “I need you to promise me that you’ll take care of Michelle.”

“Peter-“

“Because she’ll pretend like she doesn’t need help, but she does. She’s not invincible, you know? I mean, she’s stronger than me. Stronger than me by miles, but she’s not invincible.”

“Peter – stop! You’re not going anywhere, alright? I’ll be damned if I let a fucking picture hanger take you out, alright? You’re going to be fine!” Mr. Stark’s voice echoed across the room as Peter gave him a small nod.

Peter’s voice was almost a whisper as he said, “you always knew it was going to end like this for me.” He saw Mr. Stark swallow hard as the man looked away for a brief second. “It was supposed to end like this, right?” Peter coughed around liquid filling his mouth, it dripped down his chin as he continued to speak. “I mean look at me… I always knew it would end like this – and I pretended… for Michelle and May – I pretended it wouldn’t. But we always knew the truth.”

“Stop. Just – just stop.” Peter rested a shaking hand on Tony’s arm.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, its good. I did what I was here to do.”

Tony just shook his head again. “No, I will find a way. I-I will find another way, Peter. I’m not going to – to sit on my ass and just let this happen.

“Mr. Stark… I’m fading pretty quick… just – there’s a few things I need to say to you, okay?”

This time, when Mr. Stark looked back at him, tears filled the older man’s eyes. Peter cleared his throat. “You – you were better to me than you ever needed to be. You were – you were the father that I always wanted… and I – I could never find the words to truly thank you for that. I will never be able to repay you. I could never explain just how much you mean to me, but – but I love you. I love you.” Peter felt blood filling his mouth again and he spit it out as best he could as Mr. Stark cried in earnest this time. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Don’t leave me, kid. Don’t leave me. I can’t do this alone.”

There weren’t many moments in his life that Mr. Stark was truly vulnerable. Peter had rarely seen the man fully let his guard down. He only truly said what he was feeling in fleeting moments. If you blinked, you would miss it. But Peter could see the vulnerability in his eyes in this moment. He could feel the honesty in the words breathed between the two of them.

“I’m not… I’m not leaving you. I’ll be right here with you all…” Peter’s hand slipped from Tony’s shoulder to his chest, hovering over the man’s heart. The steady beating helping calm Peter down.

“Man, I did not think this would be that day. But it is…it is. And –“ Peter choked on his breath before coughing up more blood. “It is, and that’s okay.”

The two were silent for a moment. Dwelling on the fact that they were both there. Dwelling on the future. The silence lingered, death hanging heavy in the air. A withered arm reaching out towards Peter, tearing him away from the people who were so desperately hanging on to him.

“I need…” Peter paused, breathing becoming much more of a challenge than it had been minutes before. “I need you to promise me… I need you to tell – to tell me that it’s okay.” Peter began to gasp, tiny little gasps to get enough oxygen into his chest. “I need you to tell me that it’s okay, Mr. Stark.”

“Peter -“

“Tell me… tell me it’s – it’s okay.”

“Peter,” Mr. Stark rested his forehead against Peter’s, gripping the back of the kid’s head as he held him close, lingering in the warmth that came off of his kid. The warmth that would soon be gone. Warmth that would never return, no matter how much he begged or willed it. “It’s okay.” Tony’s voice wobbled with grief as he choked on a sob. “You can go now.”

And with that, the kid’s head fell onto Tony’s shoulder, and one last, soft exhale came from his lips as he body went limp.

Tony wept. Sobs wracked his body harder than he’d ever thought possible.

“It’s not okay – it’s not okay, please – p-please come back… come back to me.”

Tony held the kid until his body was no longer warm, until his tears no longer fell, and it still wasn’t long enough.


	2. Time Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all happened so quickly - one second Michelle was standing in the grass, wide-eyed and tense, the next a wave of glowing magic rushed over her and she was gone.   
> “Michelle!” Peter charged forward, ignoring the cries from Tony and Stephen behind him. 
> 
> or 
> 
> "The Angels Take Manhattan" Spideychelle and Irondad AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi... I wrote this in 30 minutes. I have no excuses other than I wanted to write some fun, pointless angst 
> 
> *hides behind bush because I promised 10 chapters of febuwhump in February and I have failed to produce*
> 
> Also, this work doesn't really follow the prompts... sorry. We are going to count time-travel as multi-verse travel, alright? Cool, glad we are on the same page :) Please enjoy!

They didn’t see the rogue sorcerer until it was too late. Peter really hated that he didn’t seem able to go on a single date with his fiance without some idiot criminal doing their best to tear New York apart. MJ always teased about it, but he could see the sadness in her eyes when he gave her the look. 

It just so happened that Peter and MJ were walking throughout Central Park, hand-in-hand, enjoying one of the first days of spring, when Tony and Stephen Strange burst through the trees, in a raging battle with three sorcerers. 

Peter gripped MJ tightly as his spider-sense went crazy. Tony and Dr. Strange were holding the men back pretty well, but Peter couldn’t stand aside while he watched them fight. He turned to Michelle, her eyes wide as she gripped his arm. 

“I have to-” He started saying but she shook her head.

“I have a bad feeling about this, Pete.” Her voice was firm, unmoving. Peter felt his chest being tugged. 

“I-I can’t let them do this alone, Em - I can’t.” 

“Peter, please…” Something about the concern and fear on her face had him nodding his head. He was about to say okay, about to move them out of the park, when his senses spiked. Peter pushed MJ backwards, as one of the sorcerers sent a wave of magic splitting between them. The ground smoked as Peter looked to Michelle, who was already on her feet.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Peter was already activating his web-shooters. He didn’t have his suit with him, but Tony and Dr. Strange were in over their heads and completely outnumbered. Peter hoped the dark of the nighttime and the trees would offer enough coverage to keep him out of too much media attention.

The battle didn’t last long. Between Tony’s tech, Dr. Strange’s sorcery, and Peter’s webs, they had the four rogue sorcerers subdued - albeit bloodied - within a few minutes. 

Tony landed beside Peter, opening his suit and plopping a hand on Peter’s shoulder. 

“Kid - didn’t think I’d see you here.” 

“Yeah, I can’t seem to get a single date with Em without having to save the city.” Peter quipped, and Dr. Strange scoffed from where he was standing. 

“Maybe you and your girlfriend should try eating in.” The sorcerer said, his voice holding little humor. 

“Fiance.” Peter corrected. “And neither Michelle nor myself are much for cooking. It's so much easier to go out.” Speaking of Michelle, Peter turned his head to find her. She was walking over to them, her eyebrows low as she moved through the park. She’d be mad. He understood. He knew that she hated the risk he put himself at. It wasn’t the best part of the job, that was for sure. 

Peter turned to meet Michelle, an apology playing across his tongue. She was about thirty yards from him when his spider-sense raged at an all-time high. Peter perked up, looking around wildly. 

And he saw the rogue sorcerer too late. 

A fifth sorcerer. A young girl, her eyes black and her magic fizzling out. She was bloodied and bruised. She stood perfectly between Peter and Michelle, and both of them stopped in their tracks - staring at the sorceress between them. 

The girl looked between them - her wild eyes growing as she watched them. 

“You made a big mistake…” The sorceress’ voice was wild as she smiled maniacly. “When you killed my friend.” Peter’s heart jumped. One of the sorcerers hadn’t made it through the battle after being sent head-first into a tree. “I loved him…” She heaved on a breath, “And you took him from me. Now I’m going to take your love from you.” 

It all happened so quickly - one second Michelle was standing in the grass, wide-eyed and tense, the next a wave of glowing magic rushed over her and she was gone. 

“Michelle!” Peter charged forward, ignoring the cries from Tony and Stephen behind him. 

Peter grabbed the sorceress, her depleting health making her easy to back into a tree. 

“Where is she?! What did you do?” He was yelling, but he barely heard himself. The sorceress just laughed, and looked behind Peter - presumably at Stephen and Tony. “If you two come any closer I’ll kill him where he stands.” 

Peter shoved her harder into the tree, “where is she?!” 

“She’s  _ fine,  _ God - so touchy.” Peter shoved her back against the tree again, and the sorceress winced sharply. “I just sent her to another reality. She’s standing in central park in a world without all you damn heroes. I’m sure she’s confused, but she’s fine - I swear.” 

“Bring her back! Now!” Peter’s fear grew with every moment that Michelle wasn’t standing next to him.

“Well you see - if I bring her back… the travel will kill her. To send a mortal through dimensions like that without training - you can only do it once.” Peter began to shake, his grip tightening on the sorceress - his hand wrapping around her throat without him realizing it. She garbled, blood dripping down her chin as she began to speak again. “I can send you to her!” She gasped, and Peter receded his hand, ignoring Tony and Stephen who began to argue. “You choose.” The sorceress smiled, as though she was proud of herself for her decision. “You choose if you go or not. If you do, no one will be able to bring you back. This dimension is locked away, a place few can get to, and even your healing may not be enough to keep you alive if they try to get you back, let alone the assured death of your precious girl. You can go, be with her - live in a world where there are no monsters or sorcerers, a world that doesn’t need Spider-Man. You can be happy with her there. Or - or you can stay. You’ll stay with your family, your friends, your world - but I’ll make sure your Michelle knows that you chose to abandon her. That you chose to leave her standing in the park, stranded on her own with no possible way back.” 

Peter took shaking breaths, humor and fear leaching through him.

“You choose.” The sorceress said again, her voice ringing in Peter’s head. 

“Peter!” Tony. Tony’s voice cut through the noice and the chaos and the fear. “Don’t - don’t do this … please. If you do this - there’s no coming back.” Tony choked on a breath, nad a far off piece of Peter’s mind told him that Tony was crying. Crying because he knew what Peter would choose - knew what Peter had to choose. 

Peter turned his head, looking at Tony. “Tell May and Ned… tell them I’m sorry. Look after them - please.” Peter felt his own tears running down his face. He couldn’t leave her. He would never do that to her. 

“Please!” Tony begged, but Peter just turned to face the sorceress in front of him. 

“I love you, Tony.” 

“Peter!” 

“Send me to her.” Peter’s voice was quiet. Firm. A gavel ringing out in a final jurisdiction. A decision that could never be reversed. And he was okay with that.

The sorceress smiled and Tony cried. Peter reached a hand behind him, letting Tony grip it tightly. 

The sorceress opened her hand, a wave of magic reaching out towards Peter, “as you wish.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on Tumblr @itsreallylaterightnow


End file.
